Cak-seat



Patented-'Octv 26, 1858.

A. C. BLONDYN.

Car Seat and Couch.

No. 21,870,l

NPEIERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WQSHIHGTON. D C

UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. C. BLONDYN, 0F ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.-

CAR-SEAT.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. C. BLONDYN, of St. Joseph, in the county ofBuchanan and State of Missouri, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Railroad-Car Seats for Enabling Them to be ReadilyConverted into Comfortable Sleeping-Couches; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification.

Figure l, is a vertical section through the improved railroad car seat,when arranged to be occupied in a sitting posture for day traveling.Fig. 2, is a front elevation of ditto. Fig. 3, is a vertical section ofthe same,- when altered, with its back inclined to the required positionto convert it into a sleeping or reclining couch.

Similar letters in the figures refer to corresponding parts.

The nature of this invention and improvement consists in constructingthe seat within a swinging frame, its backs being formed of a stuffedmattress capable of being partially wound upon a roller or smallwindlass, when the seat is used for sitting purposes, or extended to thefull length of the frame when employed'as a couch, and so combining andarranging the bottoms of the seats, the backs and other appliancesnecessary to the operation of the same in relation to each other, as toenable them to form comfortable seats facing either end of the car, orinclined couches overlapping each other.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

Each seat is provided with two vertical posts A, erected at the sides ofthe car, the same distance apart transversely, as the length of theseats, and between each pair of these posts, is suspended a swingingframe B, by bolts passing through the upper ends of the posts andentering the side pieces of the swinging frame, at points about onethirdthe distance of its whole from its lower end. To the upper crosspiece ofthis frame B, and immediately inside the side pieces of the same, aresecured two bars or rods C, extending to within a short distance of thelower cross piece and passing through runners or tubes formed in theiiexible edges of a stued sacking or mattress E, the can vas cloth orother material which forms the covering of the same being secured to aSpecification of Letters Patent No. 21,870, dated October 26, 18158.

small roller D, turning in suitable boxes, near the lower ends of thesaid side pieces, on one end of the shaft of which is formed a squareshank or head, for the attachment of the corresponding socket of acrank, for enabling a rotary motion to be given the roller D, somewhatafter the manner of the ordinary windlass. The upper portion of thissacking or mattress E, contains the necessary increased amount ofstufiing to form a bolster or pillow for the head of the passenger, whenlying down on either side, and the rods C, which pass through therunners or tubing at the sides or edges of the mattress sackmg E, arekept in their proper positions by grooved friction wheels F, turning onstuds projecting from the side pieces of the swinging frame B, thegrooved' peripheries of which embrace the tubing at the edges of thesacking and the rods C within the same. To the center of the upper crossbar of the mattress sucking is attached the end of a cord G, whichpasses through an opening in the upper cross piece of the frame B, andis attached at its opposite end to the periphery of a roller H, s ecuredon a horizont-al shaft H, turning in boxes secured in, and to the frameB, on the end of which shaft is formed a square head of the requiredsize to admit the attachment of the crank I, thereto, which is alsocapable of being attached to the square head of the shaft of the rollerD. This shaft H, has a ratchet wheel K, near its end, which is providedwith a spring pawl L, to which a pivoted bar can be hooked when it isdesired to detach said pawl from entire contact with the ratchet wheelK, in winding the mattress upon the roller D.

The ends of the cushioned bottoms M, of the seats are secured to theradial arms of two sectors N, turning on studs at their apex, projectingfrom the side pieces of the swinging frame B. These radial arms extendfrom the center studs upon which they turn at obtuse radial lines, andthose on one end of the seats are provided near their' outer ends withpins B, projecting from their sides, to which can respectively hookedthe ends of an oscillating bar S, secured by a bolt upon which it turnsat its center, to the side piece of the frame B, when it is desired tosustain the said seat bottoms hori zontally to answer the purposes of aseat. The swinging frame B, and consequently the mattress E, within itforming the backy the seat, is held in an upright position, when used inconjunction with the bottoms M, to form a seat, by a horizontal rod T,projecting from the end of a lever O, turning on a fulcrum at its centeron the outside of the post A, neXt the longitudinal passage Way throughthe car, and having a spring at its opposite end, for forcing thehorizontal rod or pin T, at the end first mentioned into a correspondingopening in the side piece of the frame B.

When it is desired to occupy the seat in a sitting posture, the uprightframe B, is fastened by the spring lever rod T, just described, and thebottom M, of the same, (on the side of the frame B, corresponding withthe direction in which it is desired to sit) is raised to a horizontalposition, and secured by hooking the end of the oscillating lever or barS, to the pin T, projecting from the radial arm of the sector N, towhich the seat bottom on the opposite side is secured. Before these twooperations are performed. however, the lower part of the sacking andmattress E, are wound upon the roller D, sufficiently to enable theirupper portion to project sufficiently above the seat bottom M, to form aback of the required height to form a comfortable back rest for thepassengers.

When it is desired to convert the seat into a reclining or sleepingcoach, the upper end of the spring catch lever O, is depressed, so as towithdraw the rod or pin T, at its opposite end, from the opening in theside piece of the swinging frame B, and the said swinging frame B, islowered or turned to the inclined position represented in Fig. 3, inwhich it is sustained by a sling or band P, passing through a loop atthe upper end of the frame B, and a corresponding loop attached to theceiling or roof of the car. The crank I, is then attached to the end ofthe shaft H, and by turning it, and giving motion to the roller H', themattress E, with its bolster is drawn upward, and made to form acomfortable reclining or sleeping couch, capable ofaccommodating thepassengers previously occupying the seats in a sitting posture, theangle of inclination upon which they lie being graduated as desired, bythe buckle of the sling or band P, by which the head of the swinglngframe is sustained.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

The combination and arrangement of the swinging frame B, extending androlling mattress E, he roller D, shaft H, roller H', and cord G, ortheir equivalent, for operating said mattress, and the sectors N, to

which the seat bottoms M, are secured, by which a seat, facing eitherend of the car, or a reclining or sleeping couch, capable ofaccommodating lthe two occupants of the seat, can be obtained, the wholebeing constructed and operating substantially as before described.

A. c. BLONDYN.

Witnesses:

ROBERT BUIsE, JOHN I-I. BAsT.

